Anzac Day falls on a Thursday this year, and both genuinely unwell and opportunistic employees are expected to bridge the gap between the public holiday and the weekend with a conveniently timed sick day.
Friday is predicted to be the biggest sick day of the year, according to sick certificate data, which last year saw a 53 per cent increase in sickies the day before the 2023 public holiday which fell on a Tuesday.
WATCH THE VIDEO ABOVE: Day after Anzac Day expected to break the record for most sick days in 2024.
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After paying tribute to the Australian and New Zealand soldiers who served and died in war and conflict, many Australians will undoubtably head to the RSL club or pub for a game, or many, of two-up.
That’s where they are most likely to catch their affliction, according to health assessment and sick leave certificate app Sicky co-founder Avinash Vazirani.
“Quite often it’s because our patients have over indulged or have interacted with infectious people while socialising,” he said.
“It’s a common trend we see after every public holiday in the middle of the week, closely followed by the weekend.”
The most common excuse, according to the 102,000 consultations using the app since launched in 2020, is cold and flu (33 per cent).
Gastro is the next most common reason for sick leave, with 19 per cent of employees calling up sick with the stomach bug.
That excuse is followed by COVID (19 per cent), migraines, (nine per cent) and stress-related insomnia (seven per cent).
On a typical working week, the data suggested that almost a quarter of all sick days are taken on Mondays, and another quarter are taken on Fridays. The other half of all sick days are spread evenly across the remaining weekdays.
It also noted a 233 per cent spike in mental health days over the past three years, a rise that a Swinburne University study linked to an increasing prioritisation of health and wellbeing following the pandemic.
The sick certificate app founded by pharmacists provides patients with virtual consultations with health care professionals, but they can only issue sick leave certificates within the scope of their practice.
About 13 per cent of users on the app are referred onwards to another health care practitioner, such as a doctor, and are not issued a certificate using the app alone.
“It’s important Australians are mindful of their respective workplace obligations and well versed in what evidence they are required to provide in the instance of taking sick or personal leave,” Vazirani said.
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